Saturday, February 27, 2010

Since my post the other day, about AudioBoo, I have now included a feed right here, on this page. Just look over there, on the right.

No more having to search them out!! I saw you digging around trying to find them!!

You may also notice some other changes, as I've given my blog a spring clean, so I hope you like the new look. Let me know what you think.

I've also introduced a new Fan Page on Facebook - so to save you looking in multiple places, you can see everything there. At least, that's the plan. There's a button, also over there on the right, where you can link to the new page.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Here's a quick trip down memory lane; as I remember a trip to the Monaco Grand Prix.

I don't recall the year, but oh boy, do I remember the experience. My dad had acquired tickets to THE event on the F1 calendar, and so he and I had an overnight trip for the race.

We flew out of Gatwick (I do remember it was British Caledonian, so that's how long ago it was!) and we flew to Nice on the Saturday. On the Sunday morning we took the train to Monaco, and soaked up the atmosphere around us.

Our seats were in the grandstand facing the harbour, at Tabac, as the cars headed for the pool. Spectacular views, in glorious sunshine.

Apart from the race, the over-riding memory was the music being played over the sound-system. The one track, played over and over, was Europe - "The Final Countdown". Ever since, whenever I hear that, I remember this one quick trip to the South of France.

Dad and I did another overnight trip, this time to the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. It was in 1994 (the year of Nigel Mansells' one-off return, in place of David Coulthard); and we took the overnight ferry from Portsmouth, and after arriving in Le Havre, we drove down to the circuit; watched the race, then drove back to get the overnight ferry back. It was an amazing; and spontaneous, day, as we only decided the night before.

Now, it's the Final Countdown to the new 2010 Grand Prix season. The cars and drivers may have changed, and even the rules; but the excitement is still there. Over the last few weeks, we have seen them test and tweak their cars, learn more about their handling, and squeeze the best out of the machines.

With the current and previous World Champions in the same team, the re-arrival of Michael Schumacher at Mercedes and Fernando Alonso in a Ferrari; that's FOUR champions in one season - the atmosphere will be electric!!

I'm not sure I'll get to go to Silverstone this year; but I'll be tuning in each race weekend to see the teams; watch the drivers and hope we get a great competition.

You can watch and listen to all the race build up, qualifying and races on the BBC.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Created for users of the iPhone, it's a verbal blogging / tweeting tool. In fact, as well as their own site, you can also post or tweet your verbal rants and raves - see below.

Now, as you may have gathered from previous posts, I don't own an iPhone.
I'm a BlackBerry user.
Unfortunately, the iPhone seems to have gathered the following where apps are concerned, and AudioBoo is no different. It has been developed primarily for iPhone users, but the team haven't let that stand in their way.

There is a light!!

The clever chaps who built it, have realised that there is a huge market of non-iPhone users, and have also developed PhoneBoo. Now, I can dial a number (which is a normal number, so is included in my inclusive minutes) and record my Boo, which is then loaded onto my profile.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Mmm... I've written a few blogs in the past about applications for the BlackBerry, and usually they have been quite positive.

This time, I'm going for the jugular.

I was made aware of a new twitter application for BlackBerry, called TweetCaster.

Now it may be me, but I don't think so.
Maybe it's my BlackBerry - but it meets the minimum requirements, so again, I don't think so.

I've even read other reviews. BlackBerryCool featured it; but more as an advert that it was available, rather than a review of the product.
Thankfully, Mashable agrees with me. Their review, whilst not as scathing as this one, does not recommend it to all and sundry.
Even the reviews on the BlackBerry App World aren't too positive.
Sure, it's a cute looking picture, but the monster lies under the covers.

First of all, you can only get this if you send a tweet. A little bizarre don't you think? Since you might not have the ability to tweet!!

Initially, I had trouble accessing the download; I had to change the browser on my handset.
Once downloaded and installed, that was as far as I got.
Yes, you can add multiple accounts, which is a plus, but whatever I tried to do, nothing happened.
I tried to send a tweet (it even told me it had been sent) but nothing was posted.
There was no syncing with my account.
There were constant server errors and failed requests.
The 'Nearby' function; where you search for twitterfolk nearby, only works using GPS - a little useless if you're inside!!